David Gurnani won the battle of the bulge, and a ton of money, by beating out contestants from all over the region for the title of The Biggest Loser Asia. The Indonesian is determined to keep the weight off and stay happy and healthy.
David Gurnani is literally less than half the man he used to be. When the inaugural Biggest Loser Asia began late last year, the 25-year-old from Jakarta tipped the scales at a staggering 157 kg.
Even taking into account his above average height of 1.83 meters, there was much too much David for his liking. But when the grand finale in Kuala Lumpur was broadcast on Hallmark Asia earlier this month, the salesman beat out all his formerly heavyweight competition by shedding a remarkable 83 kg, equivalent to 53 percent of his starting weight.
After enduring a lifelong losing tussle with obesity, David says he feels he has finally cut the fat once and for all. He has gone from a 48-inch waist to a svelte 34 inches, and from the outsize 5L shirt size to regular large.
"I thank God for this wonderful journey, it's amazing," he said Thursday. "I've never felt fitter, and never felt healthier. It's a blessing for me."
He credits being able to take unpaid leave from work during the three-month period when contestants returned to their home countries for making a big difference in his success.
He was able to focus on intensive gym workouts every day and also keep his diet on track.
"You get hungry when you're at work," he says.
In his contestant bio for the show, David had said he feared his obesity was an "abuse" of his religion, and the active church-goer continually acknowledges the importance of faith in pushing through with the changes needed to slim down. It also has given him the inner fortitude to be able to pass by his favorite burger joint and the temptations that lie inside.
And while the lucrative prizes that come with the title of Biggest Loser Asia - US$100,000, a $70,000 Renault Koleos SUV - are the icing on the cake that he rarely eats anymore, he says his physique is not the only part of him that has changed.
The temperemental David of old, frustrated at being unable to play the sports he loved and held back by the extra kilos he was carrying, has also vanished.
"I used to be very short-tempered, and impatient," says David, who displayed those emotional fireworks in an early episode of the show. "But ever since I went through this journey I've changed. I hardly get angry anymore. I look at life differently. Now I believe that through the experience, I've had a complete physical, emotional and mental transformation."
He says his failing simply was that he loved too much good food and overate continually. He would plow through the rich curries of Padang food buffets - "I can't even count the number of plates of rice I used to eat - and later snack on bread. His daily caloric intake was between 8,000 and 10,000 calories, about four times the recommended 2,500 calories for a moderately active man.
Losing weight, he adds, does not have to be a case of feast of famine. He still eats his beloved rice and bread, but now it is brown rice and wholewheat slices, along with low-fat cheese and low-fat butter. His family loves eating out, and although he has learned to pass up most invitations, he does go out on the weekends, still keeping his caloric intake to between 1,800 to 2,000 calories.
"I used to be one of those people who thought that big is beautiful, not realizing it was so disadvantageous to your health. I had zero fitness. I used to tell people that big is beautiful, that I was blessed, but I realized I was going to die sooner than I should. When I see someone who is obese, I want to tell them to have a healthy balance between diet and exercise. Sure, you can eat rice and bread, but do 10 to 12 hours of exercise a week to maintain the balance."
The whole experience of taking part in the program was a positive one, he says, especially gaining new friends among the other competitors.
"It takes a lot to admit they can't get through it on their own, they need help, and underneath all the fat, they're good people. They've become family to me. I was blessed to have such good teammates on the Blue Team. From the first day we bonded. We won 7 out of 8 challenges together. We were a strong unit and supported each other so well. By the grace of God, I gained a whole family from all over Asia as well as losing the weight."
The reality show gets even the most confirmed couch potatoes wondering if they can use the same approach to finally rid themselves of that pesky 10 kilograms. Most people, caught up in their usual daily routines, lack the willpower and staying power to stick to the 4-hour workouts and reduced calorie diets (1,200 for women, 1,500 for men).
It also has been the case for many participants in the original Biggest Loser series in the US. After the initial euphoria of losing weight on the series, they reportedly slipped back into their old eating habits and gave the gym a miss, away from the glare of the TV cameras and their fitness trainers. Some gained back all the weight they lost.
"I've done some research on that," David says of the experiences of previous contestants. "You have to have a healthy balance between diet and exercise. Even though it's over, I'm working out a couple of hours and controlling my food intake. I've been maintaining, I don't want to go back to 157 kg. That didn't feel good at all. Now I feel so healthy."
He is savoring all it means to be thin person, no longer the fattest guy in the room, or the man that other airline passengers hoped and prayed would not be their too-close-for-comfort neighbor. He says he finds new respect from clients and also a joy of living that he never had before.
He plans to use his winnings to go on holiday, buy a house and get married to his longtime fianc*e by the end of the year.
He is also an antiobesity ambassador for the region, looking to spread the word to others trapped in the cycle of overeating. There is one heavy person that David definitely does not want to catch sight of again.
"The old me. I don't remember him anymore, because I don't want to be him anymore."
